Ibrahim Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Ibrahim - Essay Example In Islam, Abraham is considered the father of Prophet Ishmael and Isaac; in addition, he was also the grandfather of Prophet Jacob and an ancestor of Prophet Mohammed. He is considered as the father of monotheism (worship of one God); the Quran describes him as a person who believed in one true God and he was obedient to his commandments. Abraham was given the title ‘Khalilullah’ which means the friend of Allah; the Quran is quoted as saying ‘who can better be in faith than the one who submit his entire person to Allah, does good and follows the manner of Ibrahim the correct in faith? For Allah did take Ibrahim for a friend. As can be seen from the title that Abraham was given as a friend of Allah, Muslims are called upon to try and imitate Abraham in their faith which would bring them closer to Allah; all their actions and activities should be geared to conformity to those of Abraham. Another great feature that Abraham has contributed to Islam is the construction of Kaaba. Abraham, together with his son Ishmael constructed the Kaaba, which can be found in the modern day Saudi Arabia. In regard to the Kaaba, Muslims are required to make pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime if they can afford the journey; this is to show the return to perfection of the Abrahamic faith (Qu?ait?i?, 34). The character and personality of Abraham has been focussed on in the Quran than any other person, with his kindness and compassion being the areas that have been focussed on the most. The Quran tells us of Abraham as being brought up by a wicked father who was idolatrous and ignorant as his son tried to advice him to leave his wicked ways and turn back to God but he refused. At one point, Azar, who was the father of Abraham, threatened to stone him to death if he did not stop preaching to the people; Abraham ignored this threat. Despite the rocky relationship between him and his father, Ibrahim prayed to Allah to pardon his elders and his family for all the ir wrong doings. Muslims use this kind nature of Ibrahim as a model of how individuals should be towards others and in particular their elders. When God revealed to Abraham his intention to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, he prayed for them that God might have mercy on them; this shows the compassionate nature of Abraham although God destroyed the city in the end. To Muslims, Abraham symbolises the highest moral values that a human being should possess. This is evident when the angels came to tell him of the birth of Isaac; he was quick to welcome and entertain them with a calf although they were strangers. To demonstrate the faith that Abraham had in God, Abraham saw a vision that he was required to sacrifice his own son and when told his son of this vision and he submitted himself to the will of Allah. When Abraham had laid Isaac on the altar ready to sacrifice him, God called him and told him to stop as he had already demonstrated his faith in him; this kind of faith is emphasized in Islam where Muslims are required to submit themselves to the will of God. The importance of Abraham in Islam is also seen in the direction that the Muslims are required to face in their prayers. When praying Muslims are require to face Mecca which is the holy city associated with Abraham as it contains the kabba which Abraham built with his son Ishmael. In addition Muslims are required to pray at least five times a day, one of which they must ask God to send his blessing to Prophet Abraham. The celebration of Eid-ul-Adha,

Philosophy of life Essay Example for Free

Philosophy of life Essay I do not come from the world of development as such I do not have work examples to share. I have many situations in my professional life I can think of where issues related to ethics are of importance. What life has told me that very often the answer is I do not know and that Ethics is very often a luxury that is not understood. Ounce at worked in a new job, in a financial software sales position I was in my first week† offered† a woman. see more:what is your philosophy of life By this I mean, it was a fellow female colleague who was known to be available and instead of working made sure to have â€Å"interactions† with some of male colleagues. I was literally told that she was available and that I should go for it. She in the next few days, quite clearly spent time around my desk and it was rather obvious what was expected of me. Since I decided not to sleep with her, I put myself in a difficult situation, I had literally to look at porn in the office and made sure other guys saw it and make many sexist and homophobic ( I am for gay rights) statements so at no time it could be thought I was gay. ( which I am not) How do you deal with a situation like this? I considered that for obvious moral reasons to have sexual intercourse with her was sick, still society told me it is the opposite. By following my own code of values I did create a difficult work environment for myself. Ethics sometimes can be a luxury. In another situation I was asked to fire someone who had done nothing wrong because that individual: happened to be the ex-assistant of the preceding ceo/founder of the company and that new ceo was unhappy of the business arrangement they had made and the only way he could get revenge was by firing her. Of course, he did not have the balls to do this so he asked me to do it. I decided not to do it. I was aware that the boyfriend of this assistant was out of work, I did try to push her to work harder so she resented me for it. She was not aware of what was happening. The ceo that hired me resented me for not doing do. I was in a difficult situation. Yes this was a toxic environment and I left very quickly from this company (she did get fired so my attitude changed nothing). Again, ethics/confrontation to reality, often do conflict. I happened to be at a time to have the financial means that allowed me to say no. Still, I paid the price for my choice. More when I think about ethics, my vision is that we all have only a certain number of â€Å"right† choices we can allow ourselves in our life and that the rest of the time we just need to follow the herd. Sadly, trying to do the right thing, trying to follow a certain way of interacting is just not possible. People behave within their existing environment and the code that comes with it and human mediocrity is everywhere. Yes, I still do value a â€Å"healthy† outlook on how I want to interact with others, still life has told me that often it is just not possible. I have other stories similar to the one discussed. I have leant from life that people lie to themselves and can tell themselves many stories that justify their conduct and by repeating it again and again they can convince themselves about it. Sadly, my view of ethics is that it is of importance in one’s personal life and should try to be implemented in one’s professional life, sadly often it cannot be done. Human stupidity, arrogance of the little man who wants his power recognized are much strong elements to be acknowledge in one’s decision process. Words like integrity, fairness often have many different meanings. We all live in bubbles where what is right and wrong can be learnt and real life is not what is taught at University. POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

The Drum and The charge Of The Light Brigade Essay -- English Literatu

English coursework: -The Drum And The charge Of The Light Brigade The Drum and the Charge of the Light Brigade were both wrote by very distinguished poets. John Scott who â€Å"The Drum† was a Quaker and he was opposed to all violence. He was born in 1730 and died in 1783. He once made a famous quote which shows how much he hates war and violence, "We never go to War, not because we fear death, but because we are neither wolves, nor tigers, nor dogs, but men, but Christians. Our God who ordered us to love our enemies and to suffer without complaint doubtless does not wish us to cross the seas and slay our brethren merely because certain red-coated murderers enrol the Citizens by making noises with two little sticks on stretched asses' hide.† Alfred Tennyson was born in 1809 and he died in 1892. The most famous poet of the Victorian age, he was a profound spokesman for the ideas and values of his times. In 1854 he wrote the poem â€Å"The Charge Of The Light Brigade.† Both poets’ use repetition to create imagery of what they are describing. Scott uses the word â€Å"parading ...

Proposal Data Base

Ladies and gentlemen, as you may be aware, our information system is outdated. We are having trouble keeping our customer information accurate and up to date. We have been using Microsoft Excel to keep this information to include transactions that we have made with our customers. It is difficult for us to look up customer information and are in need of an information system that is more efficient. Microsoft Access is the better choice. It will give us accurate and reliable information when we need it. Another plus for our business is cost. Microsoft Access is the less expensive alternative than the other information systems, like Oracle. Microsoft Access also has more trained consultants than any other information system, making it easier for us to get support in our growing business needs. Microsoft Access is compatible with most information systems like Microsoft Excel. It will be able to import all our existing information which will save us countless hours of manual input. Although Microsoft Access is a bit more difficult to navigate and work with than Microsoft Excel, with proper training this system will be far more efficient to our business. We will be able to look up the information we need with far better accuracy. Since our business is growing Microsoft Access will store our growing customer’s information, and can be accessed to view by simple commands as opposed to looking up information one by one. With all these new technologies available to us it is crucial that we keep up with these changing times. This business will also need to find a good transaction processing system. For the time being we can use PayPal. It is a secure way of making transactions with our customers. They, including ourselves, will have a peace of mind knowing that we have some type of protection. Since our business will also be dealing with not only customers we will be dealing with preferred venders and providers to bring together the best experience for our customers. Our business will need a great way to keep record of what we are charging for our service, what we spend on providing these services, and what are our profits. We will be able to create charts and see where our wasteful spending might be and correct those deficiencies, to make this business more profitable. In conclusion, our business will gain tremendous ground and be very efficient. This means we will be able to provide our customers with the services they need and expect from us. We will also become very profitable and will give us the means to expand.

The Host Chapter 7: Confronted

Yes, Faces Sunward?† I asked, grateful to the raised hand for interrupting my lecture. I did not feel as comfortable behind the lectern as I usually did. My biggest strength, my only real credential-for my host body had had little in the way of a formal education, on the run since her early adolescence-was the personal experience I usually taught from. This was the first world's history I'd presented this semester for which I had no memories to draw upon. I was sure my students were suffering the difference. â€Å"I'm sorry to interrupt, but†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The white-haired man paused, struggling to word his question. â€Å"I'm not sure I understand. The Fire-Tasters actually†¦ ingest the smoke from burning the Walking Flowers? Like food?† He tried to suppress the horror in his tone. It was not a soul's place to judge another soul. But I was not surprised, given his background on the Planet of the Flowers, at his strong reaction to the fate of a similar life-form on another world. It was always amazing to me how some souls buried themselves in the affairs of whichever world they inhabited and ignored the rest of the universe. But, to be fair, perhaps Faces Sunward had been in hibernation when Fire World became notorious. â€Å"Yes, they receive essential nutrients from this smoke. And therein lies the fundamental dilemma and the controversy of Fire World-and the reason the planet has not been closed, though there has certainly been adequate time to populate it fully. There is also a high relocation percentage. â€Å"When Fire World was discovered, it was at first thought that the dominant species, the Fire-Tasters, were the only intelligent life-forms present. The Fire-Tasters did not consider the Walking Flowers to be their equals-a cultural prejudice-so it was a while, even after the first wave of settling, before the souls realized they were murdering intelligent creatures. Since then, Fire World scientists have focused their efforts on finding a replacement for the dietary needs of the Fire-Tasters. Spiders are being transported there to help, but the planets are hundreds of light-years apart. When this obstacle is overcome, as it will be soon, I'm sure, there is hope that the Walking Flowers might also be assimilated. In the meantime, much of the brutality has been removed from the equation. The, ah, burning-alive portion, of course, and other aspects as well.† â€Å"How can they†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Faces Sunward trailed off, unable to finish. Another voice completed Faces Sunward's thought. â€Å"It seems like a very cruel ecosystem. Why was the planet not abandoned?† â€Å"That has been debated, naturally, Robert. But we do not abandon planets lightly. There are many souls for whom Fire World is home. They will not be uprooted against their will.† I looked away, back at my notes, in an attempt to end the side discussion. â€Å"But it's barbaric!† Robert was physically younger than most of the other students-closer to my age, in fact, than any other. And truly a child in a more important way. Earth was his first world-the Mother in this case had actually been an Earth-dweller, too, before she'd given herself-and he didn't seem to have as much perspective as older, better-traveled souls. I wondered what it would be like to be born into the overwhelming sensation and emotion of these hosts with no prior experience for balance. It would be difficult to find objectivity. I tried to remember that and be especially patient as I answered him. â€Å"Every world is a unique experience. Unless one has lived on that world, it's impossible to truly understand the -â€Å" â€Å"But you never lived on Fire World,† he interrupted me. â€Å"You must have felt the same way†¦ Unless you had some other reason for skipping that planet? You've been almost everywhere else.† â€Å"Choosing a planet is a very personal and private decision, Robert, as you may someday experience.† My tone closed the subject absolutely. Why not tell them? You do think it's barbaric-and cruel and wrong. Which is pretty ironic if you ask me-not that you ever do. What's the problem? Are you ashamed that you agree with Robert? Because he's more human than the others? Melanie, having found her voice, was becoming downright unbearable. How was I supposed to concentrate on my work with her opinions sounding off in my head all the time? In the seat behind Robert, a dark shadow moved. The Seeker, clad in her usual black, leaned forward, intent for the first time on the subject of discussion. I resisted the urge to scowl at her. I didn't want Robert, already looking embarrassed, to mistake the expression as meant for him. Melanie grumbled. She wished I wouldn't resist. Having the Seeker stalk our every footstep had been educational for Melanie; she used to think she couldn't hate anything or anyone more than she hated me. â€Å"Our time is almost up,† I announced with relief. â€Å"I'm pleased to inform you that we will have a guest speaker next Tuesday who will be able to make up for my ignorance on this topic. Flame Tender, a recent addition to our planet, will be here to give us a more personal account of the settling of Fire World. I know that you will give him all the courtesy you accord me, and be respectful of the very young age of his host. Thank you for your time.† The class filed out slowly, many of the students taking a minute to chat with one another as they gathered their things. What Kathy had said about friendships ran through my head, but I felt no desire to join any of them. They were strangers. Was that the way I felt? Or the way Melanie felt? It was hard to tell. Maybe I was naturally antisocial. My personal history supported that theory, I supposed. I'd never formed an attachment strong enough to keep me on any planet for more than one life. I noticed Robert and Faces Sunward lingering at the classroom door, locked in a discussion that seemed intense. I could guess the subject. â€Å"Fire World stories ruffle feathers.† I started slightly. The Seeker was standing at my elbow. The woman usually announced her approach with the quick tap of her hard shoes. I looked down now to see that she was wearing sneakers for once-black, of course. She was even tinier without the extra inches. â€Å"It's not my favorite subject,† I said in a bland voice. â€Å"I prefer to have firsthand experience to share.† â€Å"Strong reactions from the class.† â€Å"Yes.† She looked at me expectantly, as if waiting for more. I gathered my notes and turned to put them in my bag. â€Å"You seemed to react as well.† I placed my papers in the bag carefully, not turning. â€Å"I wondered why you didn't answer the question.† There was a pause while she waited for me to respond. I didn't. â€Å"So†¦ why didn't you answer the question?† I turned around, not concealing the impatience on my face. â€Å"Because it wasn't pertinent to the lesson, because Robert needs to learn some manners, and because it's no one else's business.† I swung my bag to my shoulder and headed for the door. She stayed right beside me, rushing to keep up with my longer legs. We walked down the hallway in silence. It wasn't until we were outside, where the afternoon sun lit the dust motes in the salty air, that she spoke again. â€Å"Do you think you'll ever settle, Wanderer? On this planet, maybe? You seem to have an affinity for their†¦ feelings.† I bridled at the implied insult in her tone. I wasn't even sure how she meant to insult me, but it was clear that she did. Melanie stirred resentfully. â€Å"I'm not sure what you mean.† â€Å"Tell me something, Wanderer. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Who?† I asked blankly. â€Å"The Walking Flowers?† â€Å"No, the humans.† I stopped walking, and she skidded to a halt beside me. We were only a few blocks from my apartment, and I'd been hurrying in hopes of getting away from her, though likely as not, she'd invite herself in. But her question caught me off guard. â€Å"The humans?† â€Å"Yes. Do you pity them?† â€Å"Don't you?† â€Å"No. They were quite the brutal race. They were lucky to survive each other as long as they did.† â€Å"Not every one of them was bad.† â€Å"It was a predilection of their genetics. Brutality was part of their species. But you pity them, it seems.† â€Å"It's a lot to lose, don't you think?† I gestured around us. We stood in a parklike space between two ivy-covered dormitories. The deep green of the ivy was pleasing to the eye, especially in contrast to the faded red of the old bricks. The air was golden and soft, and the smell of the ocean gave a briny edge to the honey sweet fragrance of the flowers in the bushes. The breeze caressed the bare skin of my arms. â€Å"In your other lives, you can't have felt anything so vivid. Wouldn't you pity anyone who had this taken from them?† Her expression stayed flat, unmoved. I made an attempt to draw her in, to make her consider another viewpoint. â€Å"Which other worlds have you lived on?† She hesitated, then squared her shoulders. â€Å"None. I've only lived on Earth.† That surprised me. She was as much a child as Robert. â€Å"Only one planet? And you chose to be a Seeker in your first life?† She nodded once, her chin set. â€Å"Well. Well, that's your business.† I started walking again. Maybe if I respected her privacy, she would return the favor. â€Å"I spoke to your Comforter.† And maybe not, Melanie thought sourly. â€Å"What?† I gasped. â€Å"I gather you've been having more trouble than just accessing the information I need. Have you considered trying another, more pliable host? She suggested that, did she not?† â€Å"Kathy wouldn't tell you anything!† The Seeker's face was smug. â€Å"She didn't have to answer. I'm very good at reading human expressions. I could tell when my questions struck a nerve.† â€Å"How dare you? The relationship between a soul and her Comforter -â€Å" â€Å"Is sacrosanct, yes; I know the theory. But the acceptable means of investigation don't seem to be working with your case. I have to get creative.† â€Å"You think I'm keeping something from you?† I demanded, too angry to control the disgust in my voice. â€Å"You think I confided that to my Comforter?† My anger didn't faze her. Perhaps, given her strange personality, she was used to such reactions. â€Å"No. I think you're telling me what you know†¦ But I don't think you're looking as hard as you could. I've seen it before. You're growing sympathetic to your host. You're letting her memories unconsciously direct your own desires. It's probably too late at this point. I think you'd be more comfortable moving on, and maybe someone else will have better luck with her.† â€Å"Hah!† I shouted. â€Å"Melanie would eat them alive!† Her expression froze in place. She'd had no idea, no matter what she thought she'd discerned from Kathy. She'd thought Melanie's influence was from memories, that it was unconscious. â€Å"I find it very interesting that you speak of her in the present tense.† I ignored that, trying to pretend I hadn't made a slip. â€Å"If you think someone else would have better luck breaking into her secrets, you're wrong.† â€Å"Only one way to find out.† â€Å"Did you have someone in mind?† I asked, my voice frigid with aversion. She grinned. â€Å"I've gotten permission to give it a try. Shouldn't take long. They're going to hold my host for me.† I had to breathe deeply. I was shaking, and Melanie was so full of hate that she was past words. The idea of having the Seeker inside me, even though I knew that I would not be here, was so repugnant that I felt a return of last week's nausea. â€Å"It's too bad for your investigation that I'm not a skipper.† The Seeker's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Well, it does certainly make this assignment drag on. History was never of much interest to me, but it looks like I'm in for a full course now.† â€Å"You just said that it was probably too late to get any more from her memories,† I reminded her, struggling to make my voice calm. â€Å"Why don't you go back to wherever you belong?† She shrugged and smiled a tight smile. â€Å"I'm sure it is too late†¦ for voluntary information. But if you don't cooperate, she might just lead me to them yet.† â€Å"Lead you?† â€Å"When she takes full control, and you're no better than that weakling, once Racing Song, now Kevin. Remember him? The one who attacked the Healer?† I stared at her, eyes wide, nostrils flared. â€Å"Yes, it's probably just a matter of time. Your Comforter didn't tell you the statistics, did she? Well, even if she did, she wouldn't have the latest information that we have access to. The long-term success rate for situations such as yours-once a human host begins to resist-is under twenty percent. Did you have any idea it was so bad? They're changing the information they give potential settlers. There will be no more adult hosts offered. The risks are too great. We're losing souls. It won't be long before she's talking to you, talking through you, controlling your decisions.† I hadn't moved an inch or relaxed a muscle. The Seeker leaned in, stretched up on her toes to put her face closer to mine. Her voice turned low and smooth in an attempt to sound persuasive. â€Å"Is that what you want, Wanderer? To lose? To fade away, erased by another awareness? To be no better than a host body?† I couldn't breathe. â€Å"It only gets worse. You won't be you anymore. She'll beat you, and you'll disappear. Maybe someone will intervene†¦ Maybe they'll move you like they did Kevin. And you'll become some child named Melanie who likes to tinker with cars rather than compose music. Or whatever it is she does.† â€Å"The success rate is under twenty percent?† I whispered. She nodded, trying to suppress a smile. â€Å"You're losing yourself, Wanderer. All the worlds you've seen, all the experiences you've collected-they'll be for nothing. I saw in your file that you have the potential for Motherhood. If you gave yourself to be a Mother, at least all that would not be entirely wasted. Why throw yourself away? Have you considered Motherhood?† I jerked away from her, my face flushing. â€Å"I'm sorry,† she muttered, her face darkening, too. â€Å"That was impolite. Forget I said that.† â€Å"I'm going home. Don't follow.† â€Å"I have to, Wanderer. It's my job.† â€Å"Why do you care so much about a few spare humans? Why? How do you justify your job anymore? We've won! It's time for you to join society and do something productive!† My questions, my implied accusations, did not ruffle her. â€Å"Wherever the fringes of their world touch ours there is death.† She spoke the words peacefully, and for a moment I glimpsed a different person in her face. It surprised me to realize that she deeply believed in what she did. Part of me had supposed that she only chose to seek because she illicitly craved the violence. â€Å"If even one soul is lost to your Jared or your Jamie, that is one soul too many. Until there is total peace on this planet, my job will be justified. As long as there are Jareds surviving, I am needed to protect our kind. As long as there are Melanies leading souls around by the nose†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I turned my back on her and headed for my apartment with long strides that would force her to run if she wanted to keep up. â€Å"Don't lose yourself, Wanderer!† she called after me. â€Å"Time is running out for you!† She paused, then shouted more loudly. â€Å"Inform me when I'm to start calling you Melanie!† Her voice faded as the space between us grew. I knew she would follow at her own pace. This last uncomfortable week-seeing her face in the back of every class, hearing her footsteps behind me on the sidewalk every day-was nothing compared to what was coming. She was going to make my life a misery. It felt as if Melanie were bouncing violently against the inner walls of my skull. Let's get her canned. Tell her higher-ups that she did something unacceptable. Assaulted us. It's our word against hers – In a human world, I reminded her, almost sad that I didn't have access to that sort of recourse. There are no higher-ups, in that sense. Everyone works together as equals. There are those whom many report to, in order to keep the information organized, and councils who make decisions about that information, but they won't remove her from an assignment she wants. You see, it works like – Who cares how it works if it doesn't help us? I know-let's kill her! A gratuitous image of my hands tightening around the Seeker's neck filled my head. That sort of thing is exactly why my kind is better left in charge of this place. Get off your high horse. You'd enjoy it as much as I would. The image returned, the Seeker's face turning blue in our imagination, but this time it was accompanied by a fierce wave of pleasure. That's you, not me. My statement was true; the image sickened me. But it was also perilously close to false-in that I would very much enjoy never seeing the Seeker again. What do we do now? I'm not giving up. You're not giving up. And that wretched Seeker is sure as hell not giving up! I didn't answer her. I didn't have a ready answer. It was quiet in my head for a brief moment. That was nice. I wished the silence could last. But there was only one way to buy my peace. Was I willing to pay the price? Did I have a choice anymore? Melanie slowly calmed. By the time I was through the front door, locking behind me the bolts that I had never before turned-human artifacts that had no place in a peaceful world-her thoughts were contemplative. I'd never thought about how you all carry on your species. I didn't know it was like that. We take it very seriously, as you can imagine. Thanks for your concern. She wasn't bothered by the thick edge of irony in the thought. She was still musing over this discovery while I turned on my computer and began to look for shuttle flights. It was a moment before she was aware of what I was doing. Where are we going? The thought held a flicker of panic. I felt her awareness begin to rifle through my head, her touch like the soft brush of feathers, searching for anything I might be keeping from her. I decided to save her the search. I'm going to Chicago. The panic was more than a flicker now. Why? I'm going to see the Healer. I don't trust her. I want to talk to him before I make my decision. There was a brief silence before she spoke again. The decision to kill me? Yes, that one.

Free Essays on Egyptian Pyramids

What exactly are pyramids? How were they built, and who built them? And just what were they used for? Well, you ¡Ã‚ ¯re about to find out. There are over 90 pyramids in Egypt today. However not all of them are like the Great Pyramid in Giza1. Over a time span of 1100 years the pyramids evolved from layered pyramids to the well know sloped shape. The first pyramid built was the Step Pyramid of Djoser. This pyramid was built in 2630 B.C.E. and was intended to hold the mummy2 of Pharaoh Djoser. This pyramid is 204 feet high and consists of six layers, each smaller than the one below it to form steps. The pyramid, designed by Imhotep3, also covers 40 acres. The Step Pyramid's burial chambers are hidden underground in a series of tunnels and mazes to keep grave robbers from reaching the actual burial chamber of the King. However, as with most pyramids The Step Pyramid and King Khufu were victims of grave robbers. All that remains of King Khufu is his mummified left foot4. The second pyramid, the Maidum Pyramid, was the first in a series of pyramids built by Pharaoh Snefru5 in the 4th dynasty. This pyramid, located in Maidum, was originally built as a seven story step pyramid. Shortly after, the eighth story was added and eventually the steps were filled in to make a smooth outside. The time is unknown, however most likely during or immediately following construction, this pyramid collapsed. Why the pyramid collapsed is still unknown. The debris from the cave in still stands under the pyramid today, giving it the appearance of being built on a sand hill. 1. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the largest pyramid ever built. It was built to house Kin... Free Essays on Egyptian Pyramids Free Essays on Egyptian Pyramids What exactly are pyramids? How were they built, and who built them? And just what were they used for? Well, you ¡Ã‚ ¯re about to find out. There are over 90 pyramids in Egypt today. However not all of them are like the Great Pyramid in Giza1. Over a time span of 1100 years the pyramids evolved from layered pyramids to the well know sloped shape. The first pyramid built was the Step Pyramid of Djoser. This pyramid was built in 2630 B.C.E. and was intended to hold the mummy2 of Pharaoh Djoser. This pyramid is 204 feet high and consists of six layers, each smaller than the one below it to form steps. The pyramid, designed by Imhotep3, also covers 40 acres. The Step Pyramid's burial chambers are hidden underground in a series of tunnels and mazes to keep grave robbers from reaching the actual burial chamber of the King. However, as with most pyramids The Step Pyramid and King Khufu were victims of grave robbers. All that remains of King Khufu is his mummified left foot4. The second pyramid, the Maidum Pyramid, was the first in a series of pyramids built by Pharaoh Snefru5 in the 4th dynasty. This pyramid, located in Maidum, was originally built as a seven story step pyramid. Shortly after, the eighth story was added and eventually the steps were filled in to make a smooth outside. The time is unknown, however most likely during or immediately following construction, this pyramid collapsed. Why the pyramid collapsed is still unknown. The debris from the cave in still stands under the pyramid today, giving it the appearance of being built on a sand hill. 1. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the largest pyramid ever built. It was built to house Kin...

persuasive essay 2

persuasive essay 2 persuasive essay 2 Harinder Syan English 102 Drinking Age People 18 years and older are considered adults and should be treated as such by being allowed to legally purchase and consume alcohol. The United States is one of the few countries that maintains a relatively high minimum legal drinking age of 21. Young adults the age of 18 can join and be deployed by the army buy cannot come home from war and purchase themselves an alcoholic beverage. At the age of 18, a U.S. citizen can vote in an election, defend and possibly die for their country and make all kinds of decisions regarding their life and body. If I want to vote democrat, I can. If I want ink up my body, I can. If I want to fill my lungs with smoke, I can do that too. Going wine tasting with some friends, however, is somehow too far. There is no reason 18-year-old adults should be denied the right to partake in alcohol. At the age of 18, I believe young adults are old enough to make their own decisions regarding alcohol. Even though the minimum legal drinking age is 21, many unde r 21 still consume alcohol illegally. Underage drinking is unsurprisingly common among college students. If anything, the high drinking age only drives young people to drink more alcohol and break more laws. Although lowering the age to drink won't stop the reckless drinking but might actually increase the binge drinking in young adults. But it will also help 18 year olds to regulate their drinking habits and learn at a young age to slow down.

Definition and Examples of Synathroesmus in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Synathroesmus in Rhetoric Definition Synathroesmus is a  rhetorical term for the piling up of words (usually adjectives), often in the spirit of invective. Also known as  congeries, accumulatio, and seriation. In A  Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory  (2012), Cuddon and Habib offer this example of  synathroesmus from Shakespeares Macbeth:Who can be wise, amazed, temperate and furious,Loyal and neutral, in a moment? See the additional examples below. Also see: AccumulationCongeriesListSeriesSynonyms EtymologyFrom the Greek, collection   Examples Hes a proud, haughty, consequential, turned-up-nose peacock.(Charles Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby)He was a gasping, wheezing, clutching, covetous old man.(Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol)Of all the bete, clumsy, blundering, boggling, baboon-blooded stuff I ever saw on the human stage, that thing last night beatas far as the story and acting wentand of all the affected, sapless, soulless, beginningless, endless, topless, bottomless, topsyturviest, tuneless, scrannelpipiesttongs and boniestdoggerel of sounds I ever endured the deadliness of, that eternity of nothing was the deadliest, as far as its sound went.(John Ruskin, on Richard Wagners Die Meistersinger von Nà ¼rnberg)One viewed the existence of man then as a marvel, and conceded a glamour of wonder to these lice which were caused to cling to a whirling, fire-smote, ice-locked, disease-stricken, space-lost bulb.(Stephen Crane, The Blue Hotel)Lipsmackin thirstquenchin acetastin motivatin goodbuzzin cooltalkin highwalkin fastlivi n evergivin coolfizzin Pepsi.(commercial slogan for Pepsi Cola) [Jimmy Carter] was of the Missionary lectern-pounding Amen ten-finger C-major-chord Sister-Martha-at-the-Yamaha-keyboard loblolly piney-woods Baptist faith . . ..(Tom Wolfe, The Me Decade and the Third Great Awakening, 1977)Talking Right: How Conservatives Turned Liberalism into a Tax-Raising, Latte-Drinking, Sushi-Eating, Volvo-Driving, New York Times-Reading, Body-Piercing, Hollywood-Loving, Left-Wing Freak Show(Geoffrey Nunberg, book title, 2006) Thomas Pynchons Use of SynathroesmusYet at least he had believed in the cars, maybe to excess: how could he not, seeing people poorer than him come in, Negro, Mexican, cracker, a parade seven days a week, bring with them the most godawful of trade-ins: motorized, metal extensions of themselves, of their families and what their whole lives must be like, out there so naked for anybody, a stranger like himself, to look at, frame cockeyed, rusty underneath, fender repainted in a shade just off enough to depress the value, if not Mucho himself , inside smelling hopeless of children, of supermarket booze, or two, sometimes three generations of cigarette smokers, or only of dustand when the cars were swept out you had to look at the actual residue of these lives, and there was no way of telling what things had been truly refused (when so little he supposed came by that out of fear most of it had to be taken and kept) and what had simply (perhaps tragically) been lost: clipped coupons promising savings of 5 or 10 ¢, trading stamps, pink flyers advertising specials at the market, butts, tooth-shy combs, help-wanted ads, Yellow Pages torn from the phone book, rags of old underwear or dresses that already were period costumes, for wiping your own breath off the inside of a windshield with so you could see whatever it was, a movie, a woman or car you coveted, a cop who might pull you over just for drill, all the bits and pieces coated uniformly, like a salad of despair, in a grey dressing of ash, condensed exhaust, dust, body wastesit nauseated him to look, but he had to look.(Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49, 1965) Pronunciation: si na TREES mus or sin a THROE smus Alternate Spellings: sinathroesmus

Types of business entities and legal characteristics of Essay

Types of business entities and legal characteristics of proprietorships and partnerships - Essay Example For this reason, it becomes logic and less involving in coming up with other options of sharing profits apart from the dividends. One way used to evade double taxation is by putting all family members on a salary. The salary paid to employees is taxed at the corporation level. However, this is only legal if all shareholders have a well defined job description. If there is any form of over payment or illogical rewarding of salaries, the process may be termed to be illegal (Murphy & Higgins, 2011). In another way, the family members can restrict themselves from taking dividends and borrow money instead. If a shareholder borrows money from a company, the amount is not taxable and in all interest generated from the lease are directed in the company. According to Murphy & Higgins (2011) leasing of assets by the family to the company is also a legal way of evading double taxation. In this scenario, the family members will greatly rely on the compensation rates paid to leased assets. In other cases, the leasing of assets also involves easing of human resources. In the leasing process, the profits stay in the company and the family members have the right to acquire the benefits paid from their leased assets (Murphy & Higgins,

Social Media in Meaningful Ways Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5250 words - 1

Social Media in Meaningful Ways - Assignment Example In conclusion, recommendations are made on how learners can make meaningful use of social media.All kinds of media play crucial roles in our modern world. Whether newspapers, radio, television or more recently web-based systems, they all they reflect the culture they are in, but they also help to shape that culture. The work of Marshall McLuhan in the middle of the twentieth century helped us to understand that the way we relate to these media is also in itself a valuable aspect of our culture. One can think of traditional uses of media like sending a postcard or making a phone call to one’s mother on her birthday. Often it is not what we say that is of value, so much as the fact that we choose to make contact via a particular medium. Media change the way we interact with the world and with each other. This is what McLuhan means with statements like â€Å"the medium is the message† (MacLuhan, 1964, pp. 7-21). His work has focussed attention on how the use of technology changes our understanding of the world. With concepts like â€Å"the global village† and â€Å"surfing the electronic waves† he anticipated the information age and reflected on what it means for mankind to be using all sorts of new technology. MacLuhan would not be surprised to note that the information superhighways are littered with tweets and chat conversations that contain little more than formulas like â€Å"Hi, what are you doing, I am on the bus, See you later.† The fact and frequency of communicating are what is important, and the way it builds relationships at a distance, not the actual message that is conveyed. MacLuhan even thought about the implications of cyberspace and virtual reality before these phenomena came into being. Students can be overwhelmed when there are too many choices and can be confused by material that is too difficult. Fortunately, the learner is not alone in his or her journey,   because social media like YouTube and Facebook p rovide a band of fellow travelers ready to help in any voyage of discovery. Sensible use of social media opens a door to truly collaborative learning, and so long as educators and students alike are able to open their minds to new ways of locating information, ways which permit collaboration instead of solo study methods, the benefits of using social media for educational purposes will be immense.

Child Labour in Pakistan. Business Ethics Essay

Child Labour in Pakistan. Business Ethics - Essay Example Governments began to press parents to send their children to school instead of forcing them to work. Question1 What are the main ethical issues under examination? The progress made by national economies among Western nations in the 20th century facilitated the schooling of children as parents did not need them to labour for wages to meet family expenses. The parents also began to see the advantage in ensuring that their children attended schools. In many developing nations, though, this is not yet a reality (Dessy and Vencatachellum 2003). Nations with a large percentage of low income societal classes have to constantly grapple with the issue of child labour because they need all family members to work in order to meet the family expenses. There are many ethical issues involved in child labour. In many developing nations, which often have the largest numbers of working children, the conditions in which children are forced to work are often deplorable. Children do not ask for higher w ages, unlike adult workers. They can also be forced or intimidated to work for long hours in dangerous conditions (Parker and Harkin 2007). This is why many unscrupulous employers in both developed as well as developing nations would prefer to work with children rather than adults when they have monotonous and dangerous work to be done. For instance, there are many plantations of crops in developing nations where child workers will be given pesticides to spray on the crops without being given any overalls or protective gear to wear in order to protect their skin and eyes. Child labour in many developing nations also tends to be gender biased. Among poor families, when there is only enough money to send one or two children to school, it is the male children who will be selected. Female children are then expected to work in order to sustain their brothers in school as well as providing for the family. This issue does not only affect the companies functioning in developing nations. Wit h globalisation, many multinational corporations have benefitted from the chance to expand to overseas locations. This means that they have the opportunity to take advantage of cheaper production that results from the use of child labour (Parker and Harkin 2007). In some cases, the foreign partners with which multinational corporations work keep the reality of child labourers away from them. However, in many cases, the multinational corporations may be aware of the use of children and may choose to turn a blind eye so as to make handsome profits. In nations such as Pakistan, children are often compelled to work for a pittance in sweatshop conditions (Gifford 2009). In such places, the children work in dimly lit areas that have poor ventilation and no sanitation facilities. The children work for long hours without any breaks for rest and are often subjected to sexual, emotional, and physical abuse by their supervisors. In addition, children who work overnight in such facilities are o ften locked inside the facilities in which they are working so that they may not steal anything in the absence of a supervisor. In the past, this has resulted in the tragic loss of life when fires suddenly erupted in the production facilities due to electrical faults. Another reason why child labour is wrong is that it steals childhood from children and can result in mental problems later as they struggle to reconcile themselves with the fact

How do western media cover China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

How do western media cover China - Essay Example Historically, western nations of the world have risen and developed much earlier than those from the far east, especially South East Asia. Such developments in the west from the fifteenth century have radically shaped the image of Europe being a forerunner in progress. It has set the standard for the rest of the world to emulate (Cao, 2012). This has developed an arrogance which claims the western portrayal of the ‘orient’ as incapable of ‘modernization’ (Said, 1978). From nineteenth century scholars such as Marx and Hegel, to modern authors such as Fukuyama (1989), non-Western nations have been portrayed as technologically and socio-politically inferior to western countries. Three Events Meriting Media Coverage for the World Guo (2012) identified three major events in Chinese history in 2008 that have been portrayed by western media in several ways. These are the Tibetan riots in March, The Wenchuan Earthquake in May and the Olympic Games in August. With th ese three events happening in a span of a few months, China has received a wide variety of impressions from all over the world thanks to the subjectivity/ objectivity of news delivery of western media. The Tibetan riots were impelled by political causes and were highlighted with the conflicts and disputes on religion, freedom of speech and politics between Chinese society and western media. These riots attracting much attention from media and may have conveyed to the world that political instability can result from such a spectacle. The overall perception created by the western media was allegedly â€Å"inaccurate, ideologically biased against and unfair towards China† (Guo, 2012, p. 78). Chinese scholars thought that western media coverage of the Tibetan riots portrayed it as a government crackdown instead of a mere act of riot or unrest from a minority of the population of civilians (Guo, 2012). They felt that the foreign correspondents sided with the Tibetan rioters who we re described as suppressed in their fight for freedom and equal human rights. On the other hand, these correspondents were critical and suspicious of the Chinese government. Further, such reporting of the news on the riots was not constrained to the event itself but was linked and analyzed with other protest actions such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and a possible boycott of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics a few months after the riots (Zhao, 2008). The negative impression created by this western media coverage affected people’s anticipation of negative outcomes in the holding of the Olympics in China in the same year. What was expected to be an exciting and momentous sports event was marred by an anti-Chinese torch relay during the Olympics because of the earlier Tibetan riots (Zhang & Yu, 2008). Such display of rebellion has turned world opinion against China, and this was highlighted by western media (Guo 2012). Hosting the Olympics meant a big deal to China si nce it represented an achievement of a long-held ambition to show the world that sport is taken quite seriously in this country, not merely for fun or physical competition. For China, it is about national honor, pride or shame. The Olympic spirit is tightly intertwined with the Chinese nationalist sentiment (Guo 2012). The great anticipation in planning this grand event was disappointed by the natural disaster of an earthquake and the human intervention of a rambunctious riot meant to divert attention from the grandeur of the Olympics. In contrast, the Wenchuan

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci - Essay Example The Mona Lisa wasn’t considered as Leonardo’s most important work during his time but as the years passed it was considered to be important in the history of art. During the time of Leonardo, many artists and contemporaries fail even to comment on the painting, until an artist named Vasari did, which leads other artists to give their attention to the painting. Vasari caught his attention on the skill of Leonardo which is the subject of admiration or she was focused more on the technical part of the painting. The painting was one of the reasons for new thoughts and techniques for the artists of the Renaissance period. Through this painting da Vinci was able to introduce a form of accomplishing realism. He used sfumato, chiaroscuro and atmospheric perspective, shadow painting which molds composition. Chiaroscuro has the capability to provide lifelike objects. Leonardo had proven that by blurring the edges and the light that strike them will blend the forms and provide lif elike objects. Sfumato has the ability to hold space to the objects’ depth and be a mysterious environment. Atmospheric is one the techniques that had been introduced through this painting. This kind of technique is more on â€Å"optical phenomena that a structure mathematical system† (Kleiner 547). The hues are more bluish and paler, the outlines are less precise, the small details are lost, and the color contrasts are muted. Through these techniques, Leonardo was able to give the other artists a thing to be handed down.

How do western media cover China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

How do western media cover China - Essay Example Historically, western nations of the world have risen and developed much earlier than those from the far east, especially South East Asia. Such developments in the west from the fifteenth century have radically shaped the image of Europe being a forerunner in progress. It has set the standard for the rest of the world to emulate (Cao, 2012). This has developed an arrogance which claims the western portrayal of the ‘orient’ as incapable of ‘modernization’ (Said, 1978). From nineteenth century scholars such as Marx and Hegel, to modern authors such as Fukuyama (1989), non-Western nations have been portrayed as technologically and socio-politically inferior to western countries. Three Events Meriting Media Coverage for the World Guo (2012) identified three major events in Chinese history in 2008 that have been portrayed by western media in several ways. These are the Tibetan riots in March, The Wenchuan Earthquake in May and the Olympic Games in August. With th ese three events happening in a span of a few months, China has received a wide variety of impressions from all over the world thanks to the subjectivity/ objectivity of news delivery of western media. The Tibetan riots were impelled by political causes and were highlighted with the conflicts and disputes on religion, freedom of speech and politics between Chinese society and western media. These riots attracting much attention from media and may have conveyed to the world that political instability can result from such a spectacle. The overall perception created by the western media was allegedly â€Å"inaccurate, ideologically biased against and unfair towards China† (Guo, 2012, p. 78). Chinese scholars thought that western media coverage of the Tibetan riots portrayed it as a government crackdown instead of a mere act of riot or unrest from a minority of the population of civilians (Guo, 2012). They felt that the foreign correspondents sided with the Tibetan rioters who we re described as suppressed in their fight for freedom and equal human rights. On the other hand, these correspondents were critical and suspicious of the Chinese government. Further, such reporting of the news on the riots was not constrained to the event itself but was linked and analyzed with other protest actions such as the Tiananmen Square protests in 1989 and a possible boycott of the forthcoming Beijing Olympics a few months after the riots (Zhao, 2008). The negative impression created by this western media coverage affected people’s anticipation of negative outcomes in the holding of the Olympics in China in the same year. What was expected to be an exciting and momentous sports event was marred by an anti-Chinese torch relay during the Olympics because of the earlier Tibetan riots (Zhang & Yu, 2008). Such display of rebellion has turned world opinion against China, and this was highlighted by western media (Guo 2012). Hosting the Olympics meant a big deal to China si nce it represented an achievement of a long-held ambition to show the world that sport is taken quite seriously in this country, not merely for fun or physical competition. For China, it is about national honor, pride or shame. The Olympic spirit is tightly intertwined with the Chinese nationalist sentiment (Guo 2012). The great anticipation in planning this grand event was disappointed by the natural disaster of an earthquake and the human intervention of a rambunctious riot meant to divert attention from the grandeur of the Olympics. In contrast, the Wenchuan

The Holocaust in the history is a unique occurence Essay

The Holocaust in the history is a unique occurence - Essay Example Such an event signifies the uniqueness of the holocaust whereby it cannot be compared with other forms of suffering experienced in historical genocide such as those that took place in Cambodia, Rwanda and elsewhere. Since antiquity, the hatred towards the Jews propelled individuals to establish a league of Anti- Semitism that augmented its hatred towards the Jews. Anti- Semitism throughout history has considered factors such as military, culture and economic to justify their hatred towards the Jews. Those who upheld anti- Semitism attributes feared the Jews military advancement whereby they considered it as a threat, while others feared and got angry at Jew’s business orientations since it made them economically self- sustaining1. In addition, majority feared the Jew’s culture since the Jews lived in a large community that could not borrow or assimilate in other people’s culture. In justifying the uniqueness of the holocaust, one should not view the approach as an effort to garner the Jew’s psychological advantage or a sacred prestige because of the suffering they went through. The holocaust will invariably echo in the minds of historian who tries to fathom the atroc ities that faced the European Jews. Some critiques of the uniqueness of the holocaust postulate that claiming the atrocities that met the Jews are an act of garnering prestigious attributes to the Jews. The notion is not correct especially in the contemporary societies where the most powerful control events and activities. In such a society where the powerful dominates, it is not prestigious to be powerless and victimized. The uniqueness of the holocaust is better understood by revisiting the history within the Nazi Germany, within the history context of the Jewish and the general history. Within the Nazi history, it is indicated that approximately 55 million individuals perished by

Passenger Satisfaction Survey Essay Example for Free

Passenger Satisfaction Survey Essay Knowledge centre was setup at IRITM in 2008. IRITM has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with IIM Lucknow, for writing Research Papers, Case Studies and assimilating research findings into comprehensive periodic reports to be used for improving training inputs. This is the 4th publication of the Centre. The earlier 3 publications :1. Ideas on PPP, Dr. Kalpana Dube, Sr. Prof. (Fin. PPP), IRITM Ashish Shukla 2. A Handbook on Project Finance PPP Terminology, Dr. Kalpana Dube, Sr. Prof. (Fin. PPP), IRITM Ankit Tandon 3. Studying the Efficacy of an Airport Modernization Concession Agreement, Dr. Kalpana Dube, Sr. Prof. (Fin. PPP), IRITM The above publications have been well received not only by the Railways but even outside in the Government, Private Sector and Educational Institutions. Indian Railways is the life line of the nation. It has been instrumental in bringing about a social, cultural and economic revolution in our society and has been a strong uniting and integrating force. Despite being a monopoly in passenger services which are highly subsidized, can it afford to have a dissatisfied customer? To keep the nation moving and the customers happy, our net social service obligations in 2010-11 constituted 17. 57% of total expenditure. Analysis of profitability of Coaching Services showed a loss of 21,324 crores to which net suburban losses in Chennai, Kolkatta and Mumbai contributed Rs. 2364 crores. Other factors have also accelerated the situation which include low second class ordinary fares non suburban commuters and concession in fare extended to various categories. No other transport sector today is offering rates which could compete with the Railways. Despite so much of effort if we are still unable to keep our Customer satisfied there certainly seems to be some communication gap between us and the Customer. In order to asses that gap IRITM conducted a â€Å"Passenger Satisfaction Survey† on the Northern, North Central and North Eastern Railway, the result of which are summarized in the publication. We hope the results would allow us the Railway personnel to introspect about our â€Å"Customer Demand† and initiate us to give a better service and be more vocal in showing our concern for keeping our Customer Happy. Ashima Singh Director IRITM Lucknow July 2012 FOREWORD Passenger Amenities and provision of certain essential as well as desirable features on Railway stations as well as on-board train services continually engage the attention of policy makers in the Railway Board as well as the Field Officers in the Zones and Divisions. The ground level scenario at major stations in the country differs in terms of scope as well as its perceived usefulness by the Railway Passengers. The present survey was designed to get a comprehensive feedback on 37 different service parameters related to passenger conveniences and station facilities. While the objective assessment fields were readily responded to by most passengers the open ended questions did not elicit detailed replies and were perfunctory. The perception gap between Passenger responses and Railway Officers’ responses also highlighted some interesting differences. Illumination at Stations, Signage and Clarity of Train Announcements and Booking Counter experience have got very favorable responses. The deficiency areas which were most reported on were cleanliness on platforms and train toilets, late running of trains as well as unauthorized people in compartments. What must be emphasized here is that none of these areas actually require capital expenditure or investments or repeated policy directives. They just require vigilantism, active supervision and better coordination among the service providers within the various departments. A standard protocol of maintenance, cleanliness and supervision functions needs to be worked upon just like the various service related parameters put in operation at the newly developed and modernized airports. (Please refer Annexure). This is a standard checklist of service parameters insisted upon by Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL). A similar drill would go a long way in ensuring better services on our premium stations especially A1, and A categories. The booklet has been designed in such a manner that passenger responses can be very easily understood through use of colorful graphics and simple data presentation, however the larger question which needs to be addressed is that can we provide station and on board housekeeping services which are game changers and path breaking at the same time? Which reflect a paradigm shift in the way Passenger Services are traditionally being offered by Indian Railways. Perhaps the new Station Development Corporation announced recently may introduce sweeping changes to radically alter the present system of addressing Passenger Amenities and general conveniences to be made available to the public. The Station Development Corporation has been conceived with the primary objective of augmenting and improving passenger related amenities at stations. All the issues highlighted in the current survey would perhaps get addressed if fast tracking the activities of the Station Development agency can show visible early results. The areas of action being well designed concourses, high end waiting spaces, easy access with disabled friendly options for station premises, congestion free platforms, modern catering facilities etc. The Report has been made more useful by adding edited versions of the comprehensive, pan-India Passenger Service Surveys and Station Cleanliness Surveys conducted by the CAG (Railways) in the last few years. In addition, some additional literature and visuals of world class stations have been added to give a feel of what the future may look like in the days to come for Passenger Amenities and Services in Modernized Railway Stations. The Report has also been substantiated with identifying certain important performance benchmarks, using examples from the Aviation Sector. Performance benchmarking and improving customer perception are important milestones in improving station premises and passenger services beyond the conventional targets to the next level. A level which is path breaking and futuristic in its vision and implementation. If the checklist of the 37 parameters used in this study as well as the findings contained in the Audit Reports are read and comprehended by the Railway officers responsible for these functions, the purpose of the survey would be fulfilled. However, it may be useful to reiterate that station maintenance procedures must follow the KISNE principle i. e. Keep It Smart Neat and Efficient. Also while we cannot promise the moon to our customers we must ensure that what we do promise we deliver at all times with 100% efficiency and Zero Failures. These are achievable because we have a long experience of managing stations and procedures are well laid out. What is perhaps needed is a well established drill of adhering to a standard protocol of Station and Train Maintenance Practices and not allow the drill to falter even for a day. A well thought strategy, precision in execution and applying Six Sigma principles for not deviating from the Standard Maintenance and Supervision Protocol would go a long way establishing a New Order which is easy to replicate and easy to follow. Dr. Kalpana Dube Senior Professor IRITM Lucknow July 2012 The more you engage with customers the clearer things become and the easier it is to determine what you should be doing. Objectives of the Passenger Survey Criteria and Methodology Sample Size/Target Respondents Passenger Survey Findings Response by Railway Officers Suggestions for Proactive Action Comparison of General Public Railway Officers’ Response Perception Gap – Between the General Public as Rail Users and Railway Officers as Rail Users Graphical Representation of the Findings Strategy For Promoting Indian Railways Image And Train Travel Experience Some Suggestions Benchmarking Performance Assessment Measures Sub Report One: Sample Service Quality Specifications For Delhi International Airport Ltd. DIAL) Conceptual Background for Railway Stations as Profit Investment Centers Sub Report Two: CAG Recommendations on Passenger Services in Indian Railways 2008-09 Sub Report Three: CAG Recommendations on Cleanliness and Sanitation on Indian Railways 2007-08 Annexure 1: Citizen Charter on Passenger Services of Indian Railways Annexure 2: Questionnaire Used for the Passenger Satisfact ion Survey for IR Performance Service Standards Page No Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Objectives of the Passenger Survey †¢ †¢ To review the facilities provided to the passengers right from ticket booking to the on-board travel experience in the trains To asses if facilities provided in trains were adequate and effectively maintained or not, from the point of Passenger Satisfaction in Station Maintenance Practices. To know the priority areas so that these can be strengthened to optimize passenger satisfaction. To asses the overall travel experience of the passengers in the Indian Railways and their perception of the organization. †¢ †¢ Criteria and Methodology An open ended questionnaire with about 37 parameters was prepared and survey was conducted with the help of three field executives provided by the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Lucknow. The survey was conducted over a period of ten days through direct contact and filling up of the questionnaire by on-board passengers of all the Travel Classes (AC, 2nd Sleeper). The routes identified for the survey were mainly on the Northern part of the country Lucknow New Delhi Lucknow, Lucknow Gorakhpur Lucknow, Lucknow Varanasi Lucknow, Lucknow Allahabad Lucknow, Lucknow Kanpur Lucknow, Lucknow Moradabad Lucknow, Lucknow Firozpur Lucknow. All the Stations surveyed belonged to A-1 and A category. 1 Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Sample Size/Target Respondents The sample size of the survey was around 700 passengers which included 100 Railway Officers as well. The general passengers age profile was from 15 years to 65 years with maximum response coming in from the young adults/youth i. e. 26-35 years of age. About 28% were female respondents and balance were males. Quality in a service or product is not what you put into it. It is what the client or customer gets out of it. Peter F. Drucker 2 Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Passenger Survey Findings Top Efficiencies 1. Illumination Signages 2. Availability of Porters (Coolies) at the Station 2. Booking Clerk Competency Behaviour 3. Clarity of Announcement at Stations Top Deficiencies 1. Cleanliness of Toilets 2. Unauthorized Vendors Passengers 2. Cleanliness of Platforms 3. Late Running of Trains Top Three Concerns/Priority Areas 1. Punctuality 2. Quality of services 3. Safety Satisfactory Services (Rated as Good) 1. Ambience of Waiting Rooms/Rest Rooms 2. Seating, Water, Trolley facilities at the Platform 3. Pricing of Food 4. Linen/Bedroll Cleanliness 5. Fans and Lights in the Trains 3 Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Other Findings of the Survey †¢ More than 60% of the people have used IT Enabled services such as Internet Ticketing, Enquiry Kiosks, Touch Screens, etc. 64% of the passengers surveyed confirmed that they have seen service improvements in the Railways in the last five years. 31 % of the passengers surveyed are satisfied with the Railway Amenities/ facilities. 35 % of the passengers surveyed think that Railways are giving Value for Money for the services provided. 47 % of the passengers surveyed rated Overall Services provided by the Railways as Good †¢ †¢ †¢ Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning. Bill Gates 4 Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Response by Railway Officers Top Efficiencies 1. Booking Clerk Competency Behaviour 2. Quality Quantity of Food made available 3. Clarity of Announcement at Stations Top Deficiencies 1. Coach/Toilets occupied by Unauthorized Passenger Vendors 2. Handli ng of Theft Cases 3. Cleanliness of Toilets/Coaches Top three Concerns/Priority Areas 1. Quality of Service 2. Punctuality 3. Cleanliness Satisfactory Services (Rated as Good) 1. Water in the Coaches 2. Seating, Water, Trolley facilities at the Platform 3. Cleanliness of Platform 4. Ambience of Waiting Rooms/Rest Rooms 5. Illumination Signages 5 Passenger Satisfaction Survey Report and Benchmarking of Performance Standards Other Findings of the Survey †¢ More than 70% of the Railway Officers have used IT Enabled services such as internet ticketing, enquiry kiosks, touch screens, etc. 94% of the Railway Officers surveyed confirmed that they have seen service improvements in the Railways in the last five years. 7 % of the Railway Officers surveyed are satisfied with the Railway Amenities/ Facilities. 86 % of the Railway Officers surveyed think that Railways giving Value for Money for the services provided. 85 % of the Railway Officers surveyed rated Overall Services provided by the Railways as Good. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 6 This handbook on Passenger Satisfaction Survey and Benchmarking of Performance Stan dards has been compiled using the results obtained in a 15 day extensive Passenger Survey launched by IRITM PPP Knowledge Centre in association with IIM Lucknow. The survey was in the northern part of the country covering A-1 and A category stations. 700 responses were obtained on 37 different passenger service parameters under nine categories ranging from Point of Sale to On-board Facilities to IT based Passenger Transactions. These have been compiled in easy to read, colourful graphics in this Report. The Report has been made more useful by adding edited versions of the comprehensive, pan-India Passenger Service Surveys and Station Cleanliness Surveys conducted by the CAG (Railways) in the last few years. In addition, some additional literature and visuals of world class stations have been added to give a feel of what the future may look like in the days to come for Passenger Amenities and Services in Modernized Railway Stations. This handbook would be of use not only to IRTS Probationers but also to all frontline Managers and Staff in Indian Railways responsible for Station Maintenance, Sanitation and Passenger Amenities. The handbook can also be accessed on the IRITM website www. iritm. indianrailways. gov. in.

Traditional and New Approaches of Media Effect

Traditional and New Approaches of Media Effect Widhia Kurnia Sukmono How do you think the media affect us? Critically evaluate debates on media effects and traditional and new approaches to media effect theories. With reference to one particular case study, provide you considered assessment of how the media influence, and affect, us. It has been widely accepted by the public that the media is capable of Influencing societies on a large scale. The media has long been deemed as a very powerful force within society that can subvert norms and values that could ultimately undermine our social order. How the media exactly affect us can be seen as a rather complex issue that concerns many media scholars for a long time. Various theories on media effect has been created by some of the world’s renowned communication scholars in order to depict how the media influence people. Debates on how the media influence may cause more harm than good Is still ongoing till now. Hence, it is the utmost importance to analyse the various models of media effect and how it has evolved in order to fully understand how the media actually influence us. Especially now since we are currently living in a media saturated culture, more than ever we depend on the media for our understanding of world events. This essay aims to analyse traditional and new approaches of media effect, and sought to debate on the credibility of various media effect theories. The five media effect theories mentioned in this essay will include the Hypodermic Needle Theory, The Reception theory, Two Step Flow theory, Catharsis theory and Encoding Decoding theory. To further the analysis of media effect on society, this essay will also touch on the subject of moral panic and how it is related to media influence. Finally, this essay will also perform a case study on the prevalence of violent behaviour among young people caused by high violent imagery portrayed by media industry. Some people argued that the amount of violence presented in the media is the core reason causing young viewers to adopt violent behaviour, but this may not be necessarily true. The idea that the media has powerful effects on people gained ground during the 1920’s and 1930’s, in light of the fascist treatment towards society and dictators utilizing the media as a propaganda tool in countries like Germany and Russia. After researcher began observing the effect of propaganda during World War 1, they brought about the very first theory of media effects which is called the Hypodermic Needle Theory or the Magic Bullet Model. The Hypodermic Needle Theory is a linear communication theory which suggests that media messages are injected directly into the brains of a passive, receptive, uncritical audience. A classic example of the application of the hypodermic needle theory was illustrated on October 30, 1938 when Orson Welles and the newly formed Mercury Theatre group broadcasted their dramatization of H.G Wells’ â€Å"War of the Worlds.† The program, which was presented in the format of a news bulletin, caused one million listener of the 12 million listener in America to be â€Å"panic-stricken†. A wave of mass hysteria disturbed households, interrupted religious services causing severe traffic jams and clogged major communication system. People even fled their homes in the city to seek shelter in more rural areas, grocery stores were raided and people began to ration food. The nation was in a state of chaos caused by a single broadcast of what was meant to be a radio dramatization of a well-known book. After the event occurred media theorist classified the â€Å"War of the Worlds† broadcast as the archetypal example of the Hypodermic Needle Theory and an example of moral panic. This event demonstrated perfectly on how the media worked, simply by injecting the message directly into the bloodstream of the public like a drug, it then successfully stimulated a uniform response from the mass population. This theory shows how audiences are seen a passive and gullible individuals who could easily be manipulated by the media. Although the Hypodermic Needle Theory has died away in the 1930’s since it fails to recognize the fact that audience themselves are active producers of meaning. Nevertheless, the Hypodermic Needle Theory is one of the earliest and fundamental theory of media effects that continues to influence the way we talk about the media and the creation of other media effect theory. However, this theory may still be applicable to children or young viewers as they are considered extremely passive audience and uncritical. They would not be able to distinguish between what is right and what is wrong and may possibly see violence as an acceptable behaviour in society. Hence, it is often recommended that media industry to apply censorship to prevent children from latching onto violent behaviour. Unlike what Hypodermic Needle Theory depicted, the media effect process can be seen as a more complex thing, the media doesn’t necessarily have total direct and powerful influence on audiences as it involve more variables. Media and audience relationship does not exist in void but is involved and influenced by many things such as social context, culture and political-economy. Audience would consists of unique individuals who have different social and culture which makes it problematic to conceptualise one mass audience. The term active audience was then created alongside the Reception theory which is the exact polar opposite of the Hypodermic Needle Theory. This theory recognises viewers as active participants in media that is able to form out unique responses from each individual viewers. Campbell and Morgan (2009) states that one particular message received by five different people most probably create five unique responses depending on personal factors such as religion, edu cation, culture, political affiliation and legal framework. Lazarsfeld and Katz (1955) also add that people may become opinion leaders, usually are individuals who pay close attention to the media. This also bring us to the next media effect theory called the Two-Flow step theory which suggest that media meanings are mediated through key individuals that influences how we think. These so called ‘opinion leaders’ sought to observe media content and pass on their interpretation of media to others. In a paper presented at the 20th Annual World Wide Web Conference in 2011, researchers managed to look into the flow of information on the social networking site Twitter and revealed that they had found significant evidence to support the Two Step Flow Theory. Researchers found that news distributed in twitter find its way through people a number of prominent and influential opinion leaders like celebrities, journalist and bloggers. Ultimately the media is no longer seen as having strong powerful direct effect on audiences anymore. (Lazar sfeld, 1955). Another theory called the Catharsis theory was created, the term â€Å"Catharsis† is derived from the Greek word Katharsis which literally means cleansing, purging, or purification. This theory has played an important role in the discussion about the effects of violence in the mass media for many years. It implies that the execution of an aggressive action under certain conditions diminishes the aggressive drive and therefore reduces the likelihood of further aggressive action. The crucial point in Catharsis Theory is that the observed aggressive action does not necessarily need to be executed in reality, it can instead take place in the audience fantasy and imaginations. This is closely linked to the consumerism aspect of mass media in whereby audiences use what they see on the media to fulfil the different needs and wants they have (Goldstein, 1998). One of the most common needs of audience is the urge to escape reality. The mass media industry is able to give these sensatio n through wide array of films or games exhibiting characteristic of tragedy and violence for the audience to cleanse their negative feelings (Campbell and Morgan, 2009). Catharsis is then deemed to be beneficial to both the individual and society. People viewing violence-oriented television programs, films or video games experiences emotional release from negative feelings such as fear and anger. The thrill and excitement delivered by these media text meets the adventurous needs of the audience without actually placing them in any real risk (Edgar, 1977). This theory then suggest that children who are exposed to violence on the media are unlikely to end up practising it, since they are purged of their aggressive drive and negative feeling. All of the theoretical approaches discussed have only allocated power to either the audience or the media. One of the pioneer works to break away from this over emphasis of unilateral power was established by Stuart Hall’s through his encoding/decoding theory developed in the 1980’s. Hall (1980) argues that media producer ‘encode’ specific meanings in media text, which is distributed to audiences who will then decode and reproduce these meanings through their own understanding (Hall, 1980 pp 128). Hall does not just chart a middle ground between audience and the media but also introduces media producers into the equation and their roles in this relationship. Hall suggest that producers of the media message would usually encodes their agendas and assumption in the media text which will then shapes the ‘preferred meanings’ of the text. Such meanings would then limit and guide audience interpretations. Similarly to the Reception theory, Hallâ€⠄¢s Encoding Decoding theory suggest that specific factors outside the media text such as gender, education and ethnicity do play a role in influencing audience’s interpretations. One of the reasons why encoding and decoding model is significant in media studies is because it balances the relationship between the media and the audience, returning some power to the media while at the same time maintaining audience as active participants. This approach acknowledges both audience and the media as sites of meaning making. Hall then further develops the audience decoding method as affected to four different levels of responsiveness. Firstly, dominant meaning the audience recognise and agree with the preferred meaning offered by media text. Secondly, oppositional meaning that the audience disagree with the preferred meaning because it contradicts to their own set of beliefs and attitudes. Thirdly, Negotiated, is when audience opposes or adapts to the preferred meaning. Finally, ab errant meaning the audience gives meanings deviant to the preferred meaning. This theory then suggest that producers of media text may encode their preferred meaning inside the text, but it is up to the audience to decode the messages from their very own perspective. By analysing these various media effect theories presented in this essay and how they have evolved. It has become clear that the way media affect us involve a particularly complex process. Nowadays the media does not directly influence us it is clear that the way the media affec These different media effect theories that are presented in this essay attempt to explain and justify the manner in which the mass media influences society are all practical in their own References: Campbell, S., Ling, R. (2009). Effects of mobile communication. In B. Jennings M. B. Oliver. (Eds.). Media effects: Advances in theory and research (pp. 592-606). New York: Routledge, New York. : As one of the recommend readings for media effects, it draws the reality of modern society apparently and describes the way media has an influence on the modern society and human life by providing the difference between modern and past world. The more media is developed, the more convenience people are. Whilst, the more opportunities people get to share or communicate with the others, the more problems such as privacy issues or mobile violence are occurred. So this gives both sides of idea with some examples. Cline, V. B., Croft, R. G., Courrier, S. (1973). Desensitization of children to television violence.Journal of personality and social psychology,27(3), 360 : This Journal draws the present environment of children who are now surrounded by mobile technologies such as television, computer and Smartphone. Also this tells the reader that children are now exposed from violence contents. Even though most of the media such as film, news usually deals with dramatic violence; it is able to have influence on children to follow the contents recklessly. Furthermore, it proves these conditions by measuring the physical and psychological change of children and links the results with the media violence. The text criticized contemporary society that is desensitized from the conditions. Edgar, P. (1977). Children and screen violence. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press. : In this text Edgar defines what violence is and interprets the norm of violence in the area of media technologies by providing several examples. Also, it contains the theoretical research of mass media and its violence. This more focuses on the mass media violence on children and adolescence and discusses whether it is one of the most considerable issues or not in contemporary society. Goldstein, J. (Ed.). (1998). Why we watch: The attractions of violent entertainment. New York: Oxford University Press. : This text provides some reasons why people are attracted to violent entertainment in social and mass media such as films, video games, sports programs and news. Goldstein insists that the audiences may have all different reasons why they are attracted by violent media contents. For instance, some are attracted by violent content of media due to stress-elimination and some are exposed by those just for self-satisfaction in fictional places. Moreover, this points out the reason why media violence is considerable issues in modern world from different points of views and how it affects the number of people predominantly. Katz, E. Lazarsfeld, P.F. (1955) Personal influence: The part played by people in the flow of mass communications, The Free Press, New York. : In this text, Katz and Lazarsfeld analyse how mass communications and mass media affects on people and the way they will be changed. As the form of case study, the text gives fairly detail examples in real world. It also emphasises and deals with the role of the people in contemporary society such as sharing the common belief, communication or sending messages among people. Similarly, they states that messages transmitted through mass media go directly into the minds of those who receive or view the content and describes that those then leads the audiences to believe the stories conveyed and act in a uniform manner as suggested by the information they now have. Poynting, S., Morgan, G. (2009). Introduction. In S. Poynting G. Morgan (Eds.), Outrageous!: Moral panics in Australia (pp. 1-10). Hobart: Australian Clearinghouse for Youth Studies. : The text is one of the required readings for understanding the media affect. As form of case study, this provides the detailed examples and helps readers to understand the concept of moral panic in Australia clearly. Also, this text points out the connection between the impact of modern social technologies, media and past Australian society. Seymour Feshbach (Catharsis theory

Alan Cromer’s Connected Knowledge Essay -- Literature Science Debate E

Alan Cromer’s Connected Knowledge A prospective reader casually thumbing through the pages of Alan Cromer’s Connected Knowledge: Science, Philosophy, and Education, would probably expect the book to explore how science and the philosophy of science should inform educational practices and pedagogy. Indeed such an exploration takes place, but the reader might be surprised to find that it is in the form of a vehement crusade Cromer wages against constructivism with science and a scientific habit of mind as his sword and shield. In battle like style, Cromer starts on the defensive, trying to debunk the postmodernist interpretations of modern physics often used to declare science and thus all other academic pursuits â€Å"subjective.† After defending his own territory (Cromer is a physics professor at Northeastern University), Cromer goes on the offensive against those he deems largely responsible for constructivist thought--the â€Å"highly fragmented† sociological disciplines. First he sets ou t to demonstrate that by using a scientific habit of mind he can create a social theory of human behavior valid across a wide range of cultures and social contexts. In other words, even in the social sciences, everything is not relative. Then he aims to use the tools of psychologists, maze rats and intelligence testing, to discredit constructivism in favor of standardized education. The Defense The amazing transformation the study of physics underwent in the two decades following the turn of the 20th century is a well-known story. Physicists, on the verge of declaring the physical world â€Å"understood†, discovered that existing theories failed to describe the behavior of the atom. In a very short time, a more fundamental theory of the ... ... and in-class performance mediates movement between the groups. Response As the tone of the above discussion probably made clear, I rather enjoyed the first part of Connected Knowledge, which challenges many of the popular misinterpretations of modern physics. Cromer’s arguments are cogent even for the non-scientist, and it is clear that this is his field of expertise. But when Connected Knowledge ventured out of the realm of physics into that of social science, I found the discussion somewhat arrogant. In his attempt to discredit constructivist thought, Cromer offers only one way of understanding the world. I find such a view too narrow and too restrictive. I am not a relativist in that I think all approaches are equally valid, but I don’t believe that science provides the only route to understanding and should be the basis of every decision we make.

Maxson Rose, a Truly “Rose Woman”

Shuyang Ye Dr. Toni J. Morris ENGL 102 – 54 17. Feb. 2012 Maxson Rose, a Truly â€Å"Rose Woman† Roses are regarded as the most beloved flowers in the world, with its romantic meaning . In most occasions, rose represents love ,beauty and pleasure. Nevertheless, we seldom take rose into deep consideration. Regardless of its sweet side, this kind of flower with thorns shows its another unique characteristics—- dependent, and has a strong awareness of self-protection.The supporting role Maxson Rose in August Wilson’s play â€Å"Fences† takes on both sides of the characteristics of that flower. In the play, Rose puts the family’s unity at the most important place in her heart. Just as the title of the play Fences implies, she wants to build a fence around her family , not letting her family members hurt by others. She performs very well not only between Troy and Cory, but also Troy and Gabriel. From my point of view, she is a bridge between her h usband and son.We know from the play that Troy spent 15 years in prison, and became very good at baseball during the time in prison. But he always lives in the past , he prevents his son playing football in school team just because , he doesn’t want his son do better job in the field where he has no chance to become successful . Rose demands once and once again to persuade Troy to permit Cory play the football , and she always stops the argument between Cory and Troy about football. At the same time , she shows her sincere sympathy to Troy’s disabled brother Gabriel.She gave biscuits to Gabe though he wandered off; she tries to persuade Troy not to t live in the house which is paid by Gabe’s disabled subsidies for granted; and she also stops Troy from sending Gabe to mental hospital. Furthermore, she really plays the roles as flowers, especially she finally decides to accept Troy’s illegitimate daughter Raynell, Instead of begrudging the stagnant situatio n, she choose to bravely confront with the cruel fact that her husband has love affair with another woman as a way of self-protection. She said to Troy: Okay, Troy†¦you’re right.I’ll take care of your baby for you†¦ ‘cause †¦like you say†¦she’s innocent†¦and you can’t visit the Sins of the father upon the child. A motherless child has got a hard time. (she takes the baby from him. ) From right now†¦ this child got a mother. But you a womanless man. (1613) Maxson Rose is an ever-dutiful 1950s-era housewife, devoting herself to her husband and her family. But she do not let her husband Troy walking all over her when she learns about Troy’s love affair with Alberta.Even though their marriage seems draw a close emotionally, Rose tries her best to show sincere motherly qualities to Troy and Alberta’s illegitimate daughter Raynell. And at the end of the play , it is this generous and tolerant woman calling famil y’s unity and asks other family members to forgive Troy. She is truly a rose woman. Work cited August, Wilson. Fences. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 7th ed. Boston: Wadsworth, 2010. 1572-625. Print.

Assessment and Development Essay

1. What is a competency? What are its characteristics? How is it different from Job Description? Competency: Competencies refer to skills or knowledge that leads to superior performance. These are formed through an individual/organization’s knowledge, skills and abilities and provide a framework for distinguishing between poor performances through to exceptional performance. Competencies can apply at organizational, individual, team, and occupational and functional levels. Competencies are individual abilities or characteristics that are key to effectiveness in work. Some examples of competencies required by the employees are: 1. Adaptability 2. Commitment 3. Creativity 4. Motivation 5. Foresight 6. Leadership 7. Independence 8. Emotional Stability 9. Analytical Reasoning and 10. Communication Skills Characteristics of Competencies ? ? ? ? ? ? Competencies are the characteristics of a manager that lead to the demonstration of skills and abilities, which result in effective performance within an organizational area. The best way to understand performance is to observe what people actually do to be successful rather than relying on assumptions pertaining to trait and intelligence. The best way to measure and predict performance is to assess whether people have key competencies. Competencies can be learnt and developed. They should be made visible/accessible. They should be linked to meaningful life outcomes that describe how people should perform in the real world 3|P a ge Common difference Competencies & Job Description. Competencies †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Underlying characteristic of a person’s inputs. Clusters of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Generic knowledge motive, trait, social role or a skill. Personal characteristics. Set of skills, related knowledge and attributes. On the other hand, Job Description †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Superior performance in a given job, role or a situation. Individual’s ability to perform. Linked to superior performance on the job. Contribute to effective managerial performance. Successfully perform a task or an activity within a specific function or job. 4|P a ge 2. What are the different types of competencies? What is their relevance? 1. Behavioral Competency: Behaviors, knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics that contribute to individual success in the organization ? ? ? Can apply to all (or most) jobs in an organization or be specific to a job family, career level or position For example:- teamwork and cooperation, communication Focus on the person 2. Technical or functional Competency: Specific knowledge and skills needed to be able to perform one’s job effectively ? ? ? Job specific and relate to success in a given job or job family For example:- knowledge of accounting principles, knowledge of human resource law and practice Focus on the job A trainer requires a different set of competencies than an accountant, and a teller requires a different set than a maintenance worker. If there are different levels within the same position, then each job level might also have its own set of vertically derived competencies 3. Core Competency: ? ? A core competency is defined as an internal capability that is critical to the success of business. These are organizational competencies that all individuals are expected to possess. These competencies define what the organization values the most in people. For example:- an organization might want each individual to possess teamwork, flexibility and communication skills. 5|P a ge 4. Threshold competency: ? ? The characteristics required by a jobholder to perform a job effectively are called threshold competencies. For the position of a typist it is necessary to have primary knowledge about typing, which is a threshold competency. 5. Differentiating competency: ? ? The characteristics, which differentiate superior performers from average performers, come under this category; such characteristics are not found in average performers. Knowledge of formatting is a competency that makes a typist to superior to others in performance, which is a differentiating competency. 6|P a ge 3. What is the difference between Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Differences between Assessment and Development centers Assessment centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards filing a job vacancy address an immediate organizational need have fewer assessors and more participants involve line managers as assessors have less emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on what the candidate can do now are geared to meet the needs of the organization assign the role of judge to assessors place emphasis on selection with little or no developmental feedback and follow up give feedback at a later date involve the organization having control over the information obtained have very little pre-centre briefing tend to be used with external candidates. Development centers usually ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? do not have a pass/fail criteria are geared towards developing the individual address a longer term need have a 1:1 ratio of assessor to participant do not have line managers as assessors have a greater emphasis placed on self-assessment focus on potential are geared to meet needs of the individual as well as the organization assign the role of facilitator to assessors place emphasis on developmental feedback and follow up with little or no selection function 7|P a ge ? ? ? ? give feedback immediately involve the individual having control over the information obtained have a substantial pre-centre briefing tend to be used with internal candidates 8|P a ge 4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of Assessment Centre and Development Centre? Assessment Centers: Assessment centers consist of a number of exercises designed to assess the full range of skills and personal attributes required for the job. Advantages: ? Assessment centers map the next level challenges and simulate them in exercises. This raises the validity of the assessment tool. The old way of evaluating the person based on past performance does not work many times, as the challenges of the next level are different from the challenges in the existing position. Assessment centers not only help the organization in placing the right candidate for the right job/assignment but also help in developing the participants. When participants see others handling the same exercise differently, it gives them an insight into their own performance thereby raises the credibility of the selection procedure. It appeals to the lay person’s logic and therefore is regarded as a fair means of assessment by the participants. Assessment Centers can be customized for different kinds of jobs, competencies and organizational requirements. They are far more accurate than a standard recruitment process as they allow a broader range of selection methods to be used during the process. They enable interviewers to assess existing performance as well as predict future job performance. They give the opportunity to assess and differentiate between candidates who seem very similar – in terms of quality – on paper. They give the candidates a better insight into the role as they are tested on exercises, which are typical for the role they have applied for. They help employers build an employer brand. Candidates who attend assessment centers which genuinely reflect the job and the organization are often impressed by that company, even if they are rejected. The cost of an assessment centre is usually cheaper compared with the potential cost of many recruitment phases and the cost of recruitment errors. 9|P a ge ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? They are a fair process – they complement an organization’s diversity agenda and ensure that people are selected on the basis of merit alone. Disadvantages: ? ? ? ? ? Assessment Centers are very costly and time consuming. Assessment Centers requires highly skilled observers as the observers may bring in their own perceptions and biases while evaluating. Those who receive poor assessment might become de-motivated and might lose confidence in their abilities. New recruits with high expectations can feel disappointed if the assessment centre has encouraged them to believe the job or organization fits their values if, in fact, it does not. If you haven’t defined the key competencies prior to the event – and a way to measure these competencies – you will only be able to compare candidates on anecdotal details.